Countywide : 2 Utilities Await Ruling on Merger

In a decision that could have a significant impact on smog in Ventura County, a state board will rule May 8 whether to approve the merger of Southern California Edison and a smaller utility in San Diego.

The California Public Utilities Commission will rule on the proposed merger between Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric Co. at the May commission meeting in San Francisco.

The decision will culminate a two-year battle waged by Edison to win approval for the merger. But commission officials say the decision will almost surely be appealed.

Edison proposes to phase out older power production plants in the San Diego system and shift operations to newer plants in Ventura County and the Los Angeles region.

Under the plan, the two power plants at Ormond Beach and Mandalay Bay near Oxnard would increase production of electricity and of pollutants emitted into the air. County officials estimate that the smokestacks would discharge hundreds of tons per year.

After 1995, under an agreement with Ventura County, Edison would compensate for its increased emissions by paying other companies to convert their gas or diesel engines to pollution-free electric motors.

Edison contends that the merger would not harm air quality in the county. But environmentalists and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say approval of the merger could harm the county’s efforts to clean up its air.